>> Thursday, July 20, 2017

Baguio
has 875% less dengue cases

BAGUIO CITY -– The
Baguio City Health Services Office reported huge decrease of dengue cases here from January to June of
2017.

Dr.
Rowena Galpo, Baguio City Health Services Office chief, said their office recorded
64 cases of dengue from different barangays or villages during the period. This
is an 875.34-percent decrease compared to the 703 cases on record for the same
period last year.

Galpo
attributed the huge decrease to the participation and involvement of the
different sectors of the community, including the city government.

She
said awareness of the community on the prevention of dengue contributed much,
aside from the continuing program being undertaken by health officials to
inform the public about the diseases and how to prevent it. -- PNA

P92-M
road being built at Poro Point

SAN FERNANDO
CITY, La Union — A new road to is now being constructed inside the Poro Point
Freeport Zone here, to facilitate the growing number of locators and economic activity
in the area.

Speaking at
recent groundbreaking ceremony, Poro Point Management Corporation (PPMC)
Chairman Sherwin Rigor said the new P92-million road project adheres to
international standards to address the economic tourism needs of the Freeport Zone.

“This
project is composed of two parallel three-lane road divided with another single
lane in the middle, additional bike lane each in right and left and a walkway
with a total width of 24 meters wide. The road is 1.4 kilometers long that
stretch towards the baywalk (near the San Fernando bay),” said Rigor.

PPMC, a
subsidiary of BCDA, will monitor the construction to ensure that the plans and
specifications of the project will be done properly.

Meanwhile,
PMPC President Felix Racadio said there are already some investors who sent
letters of intention to put up businesses at the Freeport Zone but they are
still in the process of negotiations. – Erwin Beleo

Built-in
power houses required in establishments

BAGUIO CITY – All
establishments here are now required to have built-in power houses to secure
their electrical transformers within their premises instead of attaching them
to electric posts.

This is by
virtue of Ordinance No. 54 series of 2017 recently approved on final reading by
the city council.

Authored by
Councilors Benny Bomogao, Faustino Olowan and Michael Lawana, the measure aims
to eliminate the dangers posed to the public by these transformers attached to
posts especially during typhoons and calamities.

They noted
that the newly approved Environment Code of the City of Baguio mandates new
buildings to have a space for public utility facilities like electrical
transformers.

`As
decreed, all existing sole-use power transformers attached to electrical posts
along roads and alleys will be relocated to the premises of their users.

The
ordinance mandates the Benguet Electric Cooperative Inc. to refrain from
providing power service to those that will not comply with the requirement and
the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) to ensure that all
establishments will have a secured facility for its power transformer and that
the facility will be incorporated in the building and electrical plans as a
requirement in the issuance of building permit.

The Bureau
of Fire Protection (BFP) will also not issue a clearance to non-compliant
establishments.

The measure
gives all establishments one year from the effectivity of this ordinance to
relocate their power transformers.

The CBAO
will issue notices every quarter for compliance to covered establishments and
electric distribution company. After the deadline, BENECO will
immediately cut off electric service to non-compliant establishments upon 60
days’ notice.

Violators
will be fined P5,000 and will face non-renewal or revocation of their business
permits and closure of their establishments. -- Aileen P. Refuerzo

Council
to LGUs: Give funds for PNP programs

BONTOC, Mountain
Province -- A police advisory council
here urged local government units to allot funds for use of the Mt.
Province Provincial Public Safety Company of the Philippine National Police in
its peace and order programs.

In its
regular council meeting, the MPPSC advisory council chaired by retired
Philippine Army Col. Paulo Pagteilan came up with a resolution asking local
government units to augment the ISO fund the MPPSC is receiving from its mother
organization, the PNP.

MPPSC
officials told members of the PAC that their operational budget is not enough
considering the many added peace and order programs their company
is undertaking.

PO2 Martina
Tumapang said aside from their primary ISO functions which are going after the
insurgents and their illegal activities and serving of warrant of arrest to
high value targets, the Company also supports other law enforcement operations
such as the conduct of preventive patrols on vital installations, provide
security to VIPs visiting the province, search and rescue operations,
anti-illegal drug campaign, among other inherent police functions. -- PIA
Mountain Province

Tarlac
police second best in Central Luzon

TARLAC CITY -- The
Tarlac police provincial office is now second best in Central Luzon.

Tarlac
Senior Supt Ritchie Medardo Posadas bared this result of the latest performance
evaluation of the 9-unit police commands in Central Luzon.

The
Philippine National Police Regional Office 3 is composed of the provinces of
Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Aurora, Zambales and Tarlac and police
commands of Angeles City and Olongapo City.

“When I
assumed office (Tarlac police provincial director) last February, TPPO was No.
8. Our determined efforts to improve our performance and our services to the
people paid-off. We are now second best,” said Posadas.

Tarlac
police recently hugged the national news over the series of “commendable
accomplishments” including the separate entrapment operation against two
barangay kagawads in Concepcion who were both arrested selling shabu and the
killing in a “bungled buy bust” of a Manila-based supplier of illegal drugs
also in the town of Concepcion.

Concepcion
Police is headed by Supt. Luis Ventura Jr.

Also the
arrest recently of the so-called “Shabu Queen” in Moncada town under Chief Insp
Palmyra Guardaya made national
newspapers and “trended” in online news.

School
teachers, staff required to undergo disaster trainings

BAGUIO CITY - All
teaching and non-teaching personnel of private and public schools in the city
will now be required to undergo disaster risk reduction trainings to empower
them to handle and respond to emergency situations especially since they are
catering to students.

The city
council approved Ordinance No. 62 series of 2017 authored by Councilor Leandro
Yangot Jr. for this purpose.

“Trainings
and seminars should be conducted to the faculty members of private and public
schools since majority of the children and youth are inside campuses during
daytime, should any disaster or emergency occur,” the measure notes.

“Parents
will feel a lot safer knowing that when it comes to emergency situations, the
faculty members are properly trained to provide immediate patient care.
Alongside the Barangay Emergency Response Team, the City Government can
now count on the school faculty members to support the City Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council, making it more efficient and responsive to
the needs that may arise.”

As decreed,
the city will give all schools six months to comply with the ordinance.

The CDRRMC
is tasked to conduct trainings and seminars and monitor the implementation of
the ordinance. – Aileen P. Refuerzo

Baguio
City allots 350 slots for SPES

BAGUIO CITY -- The
city government has allotted 350 slots for the Special Program for the
Employment of Students (SPES) program in two batches to accommodate all the
students from schools with the regular calendar and those who started their
summer break.

Janna
Vivien Elitan, Labor and Employment Assistant at the Public Employment Services
Office (PESO) of the city government who is in-charge of the SPES program, on
Monday said they divided the slot to two batches to accommodate the applicants
whose summer vacation starts in April and those whose summer vacation starts in
June.

She
said this year’s 350 slots increased by 50 after the PESO office recorded the
big number of students applying under the program.

Out of the
more than 700 applicants, there were over 500 new comers, the others belonging
to what they call “SPES babies”, or who have been with the program more than
once.

Each
student qualifier works for a total of 30 working days. The first batch for
this year completed the program from April 24 to June 5 and the second batch
will start on June 13 and complete it by July 25. -- Liza T. Agoot/PNA

Ifugao
communication network officers named

LAGAWE, Ifugao -- With
President Rodrigo Duterte’s focus on information and communication as
imperative for good governance, the Philippine Information Agency
recently organized the Ifugao Communication Network (iComNet).

PIA
Cordillera regional director Helen Tibaldo said the Development Communication
Network (DevComNet), an initiative of the Presidential Communications
Operations Office, is aimed at having a strong and powerful government
information system that will bring down the programs of the national government
which will also bring accomplishments of the agencies to the grassroots level.

‘We want to
connect the agencies and help each other in coming up with timely, accurate and
relevant information. This also includes the use of government media
platforms as medium in informing the public about programs and
accomplishments,” she added.

More
than 50 information and designated IOs from the municipal and
provincial local government units and national line including the uniformed
personnel elected their officers to lead them and represent the organization in
official undertakings.

The iComNet
plans to craft its constitution and by laws before requesting for an executive
order from the governor to strengthen functions of the organization that will
help disseminate programs services of the government in the community. -- PIA
Ifugao

TESDA
opens farm schools in Benguet

LA TRINIDAD Benguet --
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority opened its scholarship
program to farming communities with the Organic Farming NC II now being offered
at three Department of Agriculture- accredited farms in the province.

TESDA
Cordillera regional director Francisco Jucar Jr. and Baguio – Benguet
provincial director Angela Gabriel led launching of the farm school at the Lily
of the Valley Farm in Sitio Ampasit, Brangay Puguis here June 15.

Aside from
Lily of the Valley Farm owned by Jefferson Laruan, the Cosmic Farm of Rogel
Marsan in Beckel, La Trinidad and the Master’s Garden in Longlong, La Trinidad
under Ambrosio Acosta, all known organic farming experts, will host the
first batch of 50 scholars who will train for 29 days.

Gabriel
disclosed that under the farm school program, TESDA aims to help ensure that
there will be young blood that will continue to push for the country’s farming
industry by providing access to technical – vocation education and skills
training.

The farm
school is TESDA’s response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s policy of rural
development and ensuring food security, she added.

Gabriel
also disclosed that TESDA’s initial allotment for the FSP was P7
million with P2 million allotted for Benguet.

DepEd
Benguet trains grade 6 teachers on K-12

BAGUIO CITY – The
Dept. of Education’s K to 12 education program for grade six is now being fully
implemented this School Year 2017-2018.

In line
with this, the DepEd Benguet Division
conducted training on K to 12 Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum here at
Brentwood Apartelle recently for teachers teaching grade six on K to 12
curriculum and teaching guides.

The seminar
aimed to aid teachers to appreciate the K to 12 coded curricula and use
curriculum and teaching guides including learning materials correctly and
efficiently and to demonstrate understanding of issues and concerns relative to
content on different instruction.

The 554
teacher-participants were also trained to identify appropriate pedagogies and
to cite concrete measures or interventions to assist all types of students.

-- Mercedes
S. Catacutan

Regulation
on road use by driving schools pushed

BAGUIO CITY – The
local legislature passed on first reading a proposed ordinance regulating the
use of major streets in the Summer Capital by driving schools in giving lessons
and by student drivers in practical driving instructions and lessons including
providing penalties thereof.

Authored by
councilor Michael Lawana, the measure states that all applications to operate a
driving school must comply with the rules, regulations, procedures and
standards for the accreditation requirements of the Land Transportation Office.

The
proposed ordinance prohibits driving schools providing lessons and instructions
and student drivers with student driver’s permit and taking driving lessons and
instructions to pass through and use the city’s major streets for purposes of
practical driving lessons and instructions from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to
Sunday.

It states
that driving school cars shall be painted on both sides with the name of the
driving school, its address and telephone numbers in addition to a caution sign
of the danger of a student driver on the front hood and back compartment cover
of the vehicles. The sign and caution shall not be removable.

“Practical
driving lessons and practices must be conducted in a privately owned race
circuit or test track of the driving school during the prohibited time.
Driving schools and student drivers are prohibited to pass from 6 am to 8
pm in all major streets or thoroughfares in the city of Baguio,” the measure
said.

A fine of
P300 will be imposed for the first offense; P500 for the second offense; and
P1,500 for the third offense and the revocation of business permit for the
driving school. The student driver’s license of the student driver shall
also be confiscated immediately upon violation.- Gaby Keith

Natonin
SB renames community hospital

NATONIN, Mountain
Province –The Natonin Community Hospital (NCH) was renamed Anastacia
Rafael-Sagel Memorial Hospital in honor of its former mayor who was
instrumental in establishment of the facility.

In
Municipal Ordinance No. 57, S. 2017, members of the Sangguniang Bayan here said
they were unanimous in rendering the late Anastacia Rafael-Sagel, fondly called
Mayor Tasing, a commemorative entity to publicly honor, recognize and deeply
appreciate her instrumentality in the establishment of the NCH 1994 which has
been playing vital role in the lives of every resident of the municipality.

They also
acknowledged that during her term, she became the catalyst for establishment of
facilities in the delivery of services to the people of this municipality up to
present.

The late
Sagel served for two consecutive terms as a municipal mayor of this
municipality from 1992 – 1998.

The
municipal ordinance was further approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan
through Resolution No. 2017 – 149.
-- PIA Mt. Province

AFPMBAI
gives ambulance, medical equipment to BFP

BAGUIIO CITY --- The
Bureau of Fire Protection Cordillera under regional director Maria
Sofia B Mendoza expressed gratitude to Armed Forces of the
Philippines Mutual and Benefits Association, Inc. (AFPMBAI) for medical
equipment and emergency service vehicle it donated to the office.

The
donation included one unit of ambulance vehicle with complete
accessories such as Automated External Defibrillator, extrication device,
trauma bag, trauma kit, spine board and one unit of dental chair with complete
accessories .

The
AFPMBAI represented by Brig. Gen Rolando M Aquino (Ret.),
head of Area Branch Operations Division together with the Chief,
BFP Director Bobby V Baruelo formally signed the deed of donations
and led the blessing of the new equipment at BFP National Headquarters last May
15.

PNP
to DepEd, PTA: Provide security, CCTVs in schools

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet
-- The Police Regional Office urged the Dept. of Education to provide security
guards in schools to ensure safety of students and its facilities.

“Bad
elements today do not choose what to rob so there is a need for schools to beef
up their security not only to protect the teachers and students during school
days but also to protect the school properties and facilities with
most schools already equipped with high tech equipment and gadgets,” said
PRO-Cor regional operations division deputy chief Supt. Davy Limmong said.

Limmong
said PRO-Cor recorded last year at nine robbery incidents in
Benguet and one in Apayao where perpetrators took several computer
units and other gadgets being used by teachers and students.

School
officials and the Parents-Teachers Association officers were also encouraged to
coordinate with police officers or station commanders in charge of their
schools regarding security plans and other measures to protect the students,
teachers and the schools.

Limmong
suggested installation of closed circuit television (CCTV)
cameras in school as additional safety mechanism.

Meanwhile,
Limmong assured police presence and visibility in schools and areas of
convergence as classes opened June 5 to ensure safety and security of students
and teachers.

At least
3,000 police officers regionwide with the augmentation of other force
multipliers including barangay peacekeeping teams and tanods were mobilized
during the school opening in the Cordillera.

For safety
tips, Limmong said students should be always careful and to safe keep their
money, gadgets and other valuables. He also urged parents and teachers to
discourage students from brining their prized possessions including their
gadgets and other valuables to school for them not to be victims of criminals.
-- PIA CAR

Entreps
learn through DTI mentoring program

BANGUED, Abra –
Entrepreneurs here are leaning how to become successful with interaction and
learning with fellow business persons under the “Mentor Me” Program of the
Department of Trade and Industry.

DTI
regional director Myrna P. Pablo and mentors launched the program here at
provincial capitol last May 5.

The
program is a long and tedious learning process where entrepreneurs share
success stories and failures to small medium scale entrepreneurs (SMSEs) to
inspire them to persevere in their own business.

This is an
11-module training program where SMSEs learn business operation and management.

Tina
Arestina Morados, owner/manager of Pamora Farm Inc., from Brgy. Garreta,
Pidigan, and one of the mentors, cited need for hardwork and sacrifice in
learning the process of the program. Commitment to share the gains acquired was
alsol cited so everyone in the SMSE group would also benefit.

Some 23 out
of 390 participants committed to participate in the 10-week program. – PIA Abra

Abra
PAC reorganized

Carmelita
Bersalona, chair of the Abra Peace Conveners’ Group, was un-opposed during the
election of the members of council.

The PAC is
established for the purpose of providing support through technical/advisory
assistance to the APPO especially in matters affecting peace and order program
and the international police program dubbed as Patrol Plan 2030 that aims to
improve police services.

It is
composed of representatives from various sectors in the province with working
committees to perform specific tasks on resource generation, health services,
communications and community services. -- PIA Abra

The PIT
will be a sub-committee of Ifugao Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive
Health Council that will focus on proper implementation of RA 10354 pursuant to
President Duterte’ order on attaining and sustaining zero unmet need for modern
family planning that requires a collective action from all sectors especially
the local government units.

It will be
composed of the Provincial Health Officer as the chairperson with the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan Chairman of the Committee on Health as the vice
chairperson with members from the different national agencies operating in the
province and the offices of the provincial government.

The PIT
will manage dissemination and implementation of all issuances pursuant to the
RH Law at the provincial and municipal levels, coordinate all actions of the
provincial line agencies and provincial government departments who are
implementing the law in the areas of policy development, capacity building,
advocacy, education, information, health services delivery, field operations
and monitoring and evaluation.

President
Rodrigo Duterte earlier Executive Order No. 12 for the strict implementation of
the RH law. It provides for the organization of structures at the local
level for the enforcement of the law that recognize the right of Filipinos to
decide freely and responsibly on their desired number and spacing of their
children within the context of responsible parenthood and informed choice
including the access of the needed reproductive health care information and
services.

Implementation
of this law will enable poor couples to make informed decisions and choices on
their financial and family planning. --
PIA Ifugao

DSWD
releases P18M pension in Kalinga

TABUK CITY, Kalinga –
The Dept. of Social Welfare and Development recently released more than
P18 million in socialized pension to some 12,591 elderly in the province.

Lorna
Lumiwan of DSWD-Kalinga reported the assistance covered the first quarter of
the year with P1,500 per pensioner.

Based on
DSWD-Kalinga distribution report, the top recipients are Tabuk City with P5
million, Pinukpuk with P3.5M and Balbalan with P2M.

DSWD-Kalinga
closely coordinates with the Provincial Federation of Senior Citizens for the
updated master list of members. The sector is included in the priority targets
of the office.

Under
Republic Act 994, the government through DSWD extends monthly socialized
pension of P500 to senior citizens, who have no other financial support. It is
released per quarter.

In related
report, some municipalities in the province extend additional benefits to the
sector that include livelihood assistance and mortuary cash aid.

In Tabuk
City, the city government provides mortuary benefits of P5,000 to qualified
members of the City Senior Citizen Federation and P2,000 to non-federation
members. -- PIA Kalinga

Kalinga
4Ps get rice aid

TABUK CITY, Kalinga –
More than11, 000 Pantawid Pamilya program beneficiaries in the province started
receiving rice subsidy from the program.

Lorna
Lumiwan, 4Ps Provincial Link, disclosed the Dept. of Social Welfare and
Development released the rice assistance for January because the period was
covered under the “suspension of evaluation on compliance” due to super typhoon
‘Lawin’.

But
starting February until end of the year, release of rice aid will be back as
compliance-based, Lumiwan said.

Under the
4Ps program, indigent beneficiaries receive monthly cash benefits provided they
comply with conditions set on health, education and attendance to family
development sessions.

Pantawid
families are required to have regular health monitoring at rural health units,
qualified children should be in school and undergo regular family development
sessions. -- PIA Kalinga

Kalinga
farmers learn ratooning technology

CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga
-- The Provincial Agriculturist Office
educates farmers on the ratooning technology to increase rice production.

Joe
Casibang, Kalinga rice program coordinator, said ratooning could add at least
40 percent of the average yield per hectare to farmers.

Under the
technology, farmers are taught to apply some interventions to palay plants left
out during harvest and could still get additional yield. Farmers just apply
additional two bags of urea per hectare compared to the usual 8-10 bags of
fertilizer per hectare in the regular cropping.

Casibang
said the ratooning period runs for about 60 days, which is actually the regular
cropping interval, before the ratooned palay is ready for harvest.

The
technology is applicable to both hybrid and inbred rice. Rice farmers get an
average of 120 bags of palay per hectare.

A
50-hectare demo-farm is being used for the technology in this City, the
province's major rice producing area. --
PIA Kalinga

DSWD
sets 30,000 family food packs for rainy months

BAGUIO CITY – Dept. of
Social Welfare and Development in the Cordillera Administrative Region has set
family food packs for disaster augmentation this rainy season particularly
for landslide-prone areas in the region.

DSWD-CAR
regional director Janet Armas said 30,000 food packs have already been brought
to provinces for distribution in case of disasters.

She said
6,200 food packs are in Mountain Province; 5,000 in Ifugao; 2,642 in Abra;
1,500 in Apayao; and 15,601 at their warehouse in Puguis, La Trinidad town in
Benguet.

The
training was to enable pig raisers gain more profit in their backyard livestock
endeavor by formulating their own organic feeds using ingredients and materials
that are abundant and indigenous in their places rather than relying on
commercial feeds which are very expensive, said PVET training coordinator
Ferdinand Dunuan.

By adopting organic
farming that includes feed formulation to reduce feed cost,
they can produce not only animal meat products which are safe and fit for
human consumption but also earn more profit because organically produced farm
products nowadays are in great demand.

Dunuan
lectured to participants on animal husbandry, issues on bio-organic inputs and
good agricultural practices.

Gilbert
Caclini, also of PVET, demonstrated the preparation of the feeds using the
indigenous materials with the hands on participation of the farmers so
that they can learn and experience on the spot organic feed formulation.

The farmers
said were happy with what they learned and promised that they will immediately
start preparing their own feed supply. -- Daniel B. Codamon

DOST upgrades baking
skills of Ifugao small entrepreneurs

LAMUT, Ifugao -- The
Department of Science and Technology trained 30 young and old small
entrepreneurs of the province to upgrade their skills and knowledge in making
bakery products.

The DOST
tapped expert chefs and bakers from the ACHIEVERS Food and Bakery Ingredients
Corporation based in Quezon City as resource persons. The company offers wide
range of locally manufactured and selected imported quality food ingredients to
produce a wide variety of breads, cakes, pastries, dimsum and other
confectionaries and also supply bakery equipment and tools.

Provincial
Science and Technology Director Genna Jallorina said that the training
under the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Project or SETUP aims to
enable the bakery operators in the province improve the quality and quantity of
their bakery products by learning and using new and better ingredients,
technology, equipment and facilities thereby making their business more profitable
and competitive.

Among the
equipment introduced and demonstrated hands-on by the chefs and bakers from the
ACHIEVERS Corporation to the trainees are the deck ovens, cake mixers, rack
ovens, spiral mixers, chillers, proofers, dough machines, roasters, fondue machines,
ice machines, bread slicer, bread racks and other machine products.